Robber barons 2014

Robber barons and swindling millionaires were the topic for Lida Baldwin back in 1907. Her topic seems no less relevant today in light of the VA purchase of the Midlands property as reported Sunday in the C-J. Simple common sense suggests one cannot buy a property for $4.96 million and resell basically unimproved land for $12.9 million a few years later, absent some sort of shenanigans. This sort of deal is why so many people distrust the government.

Certainly Tony Lindauer, our PVA, is spot on in saying the amended property valuation was "silly." I am just as outraged as he apparently is and believe further investigation is warranted.

The VA official stock response was also silly, apparently suggesting that going along with this abuse of taxpayers is "taking care of veterans and their health care needs." This also ignores the issue that veterans apparently preferred the current hospital site which was deemed to be too expensive to re-tool.

One wonders how far $12.9 million would go to make the existing property more amenable for veterans. I am both a veteran and a taxpayer and cannot imagine how these events transpired coincidentally. I suspect many taxpayers would like the C-J to press on and find out who was enriched by this deal, but unfortunately doubt anyone will ever be prosecuted.

LARRY CURL

Louisville 40299 -

Reviving a word

The fascinating and ongoing flap involving Blue, Galloway and the Veterans Administration brings to mind a word that might have fallen into antiquity were it not for all parties: Skulduggery.

TOM McMULLEN

Louisville 40222 -

A law like bleach

Sadly enough, it seems to me that the "stand your ground" law in Florida is similar to the use of bleach for laundry. It works only for whites.

BRIAN VAN HOOSE

Floyds Knobs, Ind. 47119 -

What are they doing?

Please tell me it was a misprint! On the front page of Monday's paper was an article about the 2014 Kentucky legislature: "With less than 30 meeting days remaining in Kentucky's 2014 General Assembly, only two of the more than 570 proposed bills have been signed into law."

What? Only TWO! What are our legislators doing in Frankfort? Everyone is focused on the legislature in Washington, D.C., when we have this horrible problem right here at home.

I suggest everyone write to their representatives and demand they do the job they were elected to do in Frankfort. If this situation does not improve, vote them out! I do not want another special session to try to accomplish the job they should have already done. Not fulfilling your job requirements is a reason to be fired in the private sector. They should be held to the same standards.